PLYMOUTH STATE TOPS MEN'S BASKETBALL, 73-41

BOSTON, MA -Senior guard Ian Dempsey (Andover, MA) netted a game-high 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-4 from downtown to lead the Plymouth State University men's basketball team past the University of Massachusetts Boston, 73-41, this afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center on the campus of UMass Boston. With the victory, the Panthers improve to 11-11 overall and 5-7 in LEC play while the Beacons drop their fifth straight contest to fall to 8-15 and 2-10.

The Beacons came out of the gates on fire, connecting on their first three shots from the floor including back-to-back three point field goals from junior guards Michael Mitchell Jr. (Boston, MA) and Isaac Jenkins (Pordenone, Italy) to help the home squad jump out to an early 8-2 lead just 2:46 into the contest. Over the next six minutes of action, the Panthers responded with a 13-0 run fueled by eight points from Dempsey to take the 15-11 lead with 10:58 to play in the opening stanza. Plymouth State would continue to expand its lead with sharp shooting in the first half in which they connected on 54.2% (13-24) of its shots from the field to open up a 37-18 halftime margin.

In the second half, UMass Boston was unable to get any closer than its halftime deficit as Plymouth State continued to shoot exceptionally well from the field, again converting 13-of-24 attempts in the second half to shoot 54.2% on the game (26-48) en route to their 73-41 victory.

The PSU bench was very effective, outscoring the Beacons subs, 37-11 on the game. Junior guard Brian Chergey (Portsmouth, NH) led the bench scoring with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and also collected a game-high 10 rebounds for the double-double.

For UMass Boston, Mitchell Jr. finished the afternoon with a team-high 11 points while also grabbing six rebounds and three steals.

Both teams return to action on Tuesday, Feb. 15 in LEC play. The Beacons travel to Gorham, ME to face Southern Maine in a 7:30 p.m. contest while the Panthers host Keene State College at 7:30 p.m. in Plymouth, NH.